A statement on the Venezuelan protests from an Argentinean student union federation

A statement on the Venezuelan protests from an Argentinean student union federation that includes a front of Trotskyists and other socialists:

“In recent days a number of demonstrations have been conducted in different parts of Venezuela , and on Wednesday 2/12/14 in Caracas three people were killed and several wounded. This has again stressed the political situation . You are seeing mobilizations coordinated nationally by Leopoldo Lopez , Maria Corina Machado and Antonio Ledezma, whom are part of the radical right in the country and have a strong base in the sectors of university students and the middle class.

The events of recent days show the accelerated decomposition of the Venezuelan situation. The backdrop is the economic collapse of the Chavez regime , marked by over 50 % inflation and shortages of all kinds of staples . The impotence of the “Bolivarian ” government is increasingly focused on the military, & has been expressed in successive devaluations that are hitting the masses deeply . Oil revenues have resulted in parasitic business of the Venezuelan bourgeoisie and capital flight . Chavez, who put himself on leadership the labor mobilization in 2002, halted the attempt to privatize the oil revenue , squandered these resources in the payment of the usurious debt , which blocked the possibility of industrializing the country (Venezuela still imports the vast majority of food).

In this context, the right-wing opposition is trying to exploit the crisis of government for their own benefit . This attempt , however , was questioned by the failure in the last election . Since then, as a sort of Capriles’ tested approach to government, an ultra – right wing is openly promoting a coup. A triumph of these right-wing provocations would represent a setback for workers in Venezuela and throughout Latin America.

In turn, the Maduro government reacts to this situation with blocking democratic freedoms in the name of facing the right-wing, with restrictions that are and will be used in full force and weight of the law against the workers and popular sectors who are struggling to defend their demands openly against economic adjustment. They’ll try to restrict the working and popular protests and the right to strike, as the recent arrests of oil workers show.

In this crisis , the Venezuelan student movement has acted behind the pro-imperialist opposition. It is true that the “Bolivarian ” government was quite unable to rally support for the student youth , which sought to confront them through bureaucratic and repressive methods . But the student movement in the Argentine experience shows that it is possible and necessary to address these nationalist governments of verbiage from the field of the working class, the left, and socialism.

The Student Center of Arts repudiates the coup provocations , and calls to mobilize for their defeat, without giving the least political support for the current government. We call the labor movement and the Venezuelan student movement to organize independently to push for their own path out of the crisis and to fight the austerity on living standards imposed on the masses carried by the government , which would open a new course for all peoples and exploited in Latin America. ”

“The Bemba” and “A single shout” counter-pose their following statement :

“The advance of the coup in the Venezuela right

In recent days we have witnessed a growing social mobilization in Venezuela mainly driven by the MUD , and the “Caprilismo” extreme right , who are backed by imperialism and the big media groups and entrepreneurs.

These sectors are involved in an attempt to destabilize the government of Maduro. Not to valorize the government , we believe that progress in these right-wing sectors implies a reversal of the gains of the Venezuelan working people.

From CEFyL in order to address the onslaught of these sectors and imperialism in Latin America, we must call for the mobilization of working people and push for class independence.

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Who We Are

La Voz De Los Trabajadores/Workers' Voice is a revolutionary socialist organization. We are the sympathizing organization of the International Workers League (LIT-CI) in the United States. We formed in California in 2008 around the struggles of the immigrant working class & the fight for militant, democratic trade unions and other workers’ and people’s organizations that defend the principle of class independence.